Services provided for young LGB&T people vary at each Yorkshire MESMAC office however all Yorkshire MESMAC youth work follows the same aims, values and goals.

Use the navigation buttons to the left  to take you to the pages best for you. For example, you can go straight to the Groups button to find out about the LGB&T youth groups in your area or find useful websites from the Links button. Or you can just use the Contact Us  button to find the contact details of a Yorkshire MESMAC worker in your area.

GALYIC Closing Down

The LGB&T youth group in Calderdale called GALYIC has announced that it is no longer able to  run and has updated Yorkshire MESMAC and all its users with the news. Calderdale Young People's services will be taking over and Yorkshire MESMAC will update on this when we hear more.

Here is GALYIC's farewell letter below:

GALYIC CLOSING DOWN

Gay and Lesbian Youth in Calderdale (GALYIC) will close its doors on November 30th 2011, twelve years and three months after it was set up in August 1999.

 Jan Bridget, who founded GALYIC with a group of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people, said, “It is very sad that we have had to close because the needs of LGBT young people in some respects have never been greater with young people coming out at younger ages  and the high levels of homophobic bullying in schools.  At the same time, a lot has happened during this period with homophobic laws being repealed and replaced by anti-discrimination laws.  In fact, in many ways, we are in a far better position now legally than we have ever been.”

“One of the differences between now and then,” Jan added, “is that we have the Equality Act and the Public Sector Equality Duty which clearly states that all public services should meet the needs of LGBT young people.  There are also government strategies which now identify gay young people as vulnerable and are saying that local authorities need to be providing services that meet their needs.  For example, the mental health strategy and in particular the new suicide prevention strategy.  Furthermore, as from January 2012, all schools must take account of the needs of LGBT young people as Ofsted will include questions about this in their inspections.”

After years of dedicated work, GALYIC are leaving a significant legacy.  Here are just a few of their achievements:
 Supported hundreds of young people to turn around their lives, helped them to be proud of who they are, many of whom have gone out into the world and challenged the oppression they have come up against.
 Provided regular and consistent weekly safe spaces, w here LGBT young people could meet like-minded peers, access positive information and role models, take part in fun and challenging activities, get involved in activism to challenge homophobia, access and provide peer support.
 Supported members to come out to their families and supported families to accept their LGBT children. 
 Provided training for hundreds of professionals including teachers, youth workers, health workers, social workers, housing workers, probation officers, personal advisers…

GALYIC were at the leading edge of responding to the needs of LGBT young people:  Jan Bridget developed a comprehensive needs assessment tool (NAT) which was used to identify the individual needs of GALYIC members and to raise awareness of the key issues facing them.  This aspect of their work was recently recognised as ‘impressive and comprehensive’ in a government funded research report.

Over the years GALYIC, and its members, have been involved in raising the profile of LGBT young people nationally by taking part in Department of Health training videos, producing booklets, giving presentations at national and regional conferences, in London, Cardiff, Nottingham, York.

What next?  Jan said, “Calderdale Young People’s Service played a significant role in helping to set up GALYIC in 1999, and they have agreed to take over the youth group to ensure LGBT young people in Calderdale have the support they need.  I am delighted this work will now be mainstreamed.”

GALYIC are having a farewell party in Halifax on Thursday, 24th November where current and past members, as well as agencies who have worked with them over the years, can come together to say goodbye. 

Councillor Nader Fekri, Mayor of Calderdale, said, "I am enormously proud of the fantastic work that GALYIC have done over the past dozen years here in Calderdale. They have helped hundreds of youngsters and their families at often difficult times in their lives, challenged ignorance, prejudice, and oppression wherever they've encountered it, and by challenging homophobia, helped make our borough a more accepting, caring, and open place to live. I wish Jan a well-earned, long, and fulfilling retirement".

For further information contact Jan Bridget, 07765 361 590 or 01422 844 858.